


Hobbit Happenings

by StrictlyNoFrills



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Comment Fic, Do not separate the sons of Durin, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins, Gen, Tumblr Fic, character tags to be added as they appear, yes I caved and joined the Tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-02-16 11:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21506830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrictlyNoFrills/pseuds/StrictlyNoFrills
Summary: The place where comment fics for The Hobbit will land.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Fíli, Fem!Bilbo/Fili, Fili/OFC, Kíli (Tolkien)/Tauriel (Hobbit Movies)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 75





	1. Passing the time

**Author's Note:**

> I am weak, and the Hobbit plot bunnies are strong. So, I gave in and resurrected an old Tumblr blog that I thought I'd deleted years ago, because I don't get anything accomplished when I blog things... So, we'll see how this goes. 0.o

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this gifset from the Tumblr: https://d3-iseefire.tumblr.com/post/189182962262/riepu10-sons-of-durin-in-prison-thorin-is, or more specifically, ISeeFire's commentary on the gifset.
> 
> You can come and fall down the Tumblr rabbit hole with me at https://strictlynofrills.tumblr.com.

Kili caught his trusty rock in his deft hand and rested his head against the back wall of his cell. From their own cells, Fili and Thorin were sulking and sniping at each other mildly in turn, more for wont of something to do than for anything else. With another toss, Kili prepared to wait for their solicitor to arrive and pay their bail, well-accustomed to the routine after several years spent accompanying his uncle and his brother to what were theoretically diplomatic meetings. 

The statuesque redhead who had led them all to their cells that afternoon stopped by with their evening meals, and Kili tried his luck as he had earlier, hoping for a laugh, a smile, possibly even a glare, from the beautiful elleth. The lack of response to his charms was rather disappointing, but he resolved to try again the next time she had cause to come their way. He had a feeling about her, and his feelings about people were rarely ever wrong.

A short while after cleaning his plate, he looked up from the rock he had once again caught in his hand and met the bright blue eyes of his family’s solicitor. He had not even heard her approach, which he would have been more disturbed by, had it been anyone else. Yet he had grown used to the lack of even a whisper of sound from Bilbo’s oddly bare, hairy, large feet, which seemed quite at odds with the charcoal grey pencil skirt and deep green button-down blouse she wore today.

“What has your uncle done this time?” Bilbo asked, looking both fond and annoyed as the guard who had accompanied her down to the cells – and sadly, was not the beautiful elleth of the fiery hair – used his key to unlock Kili’s cell door.

“Oh, you know,” Kili said airily, “just strengthening ties with our adjoining nations.”

The guard snorted and then looked appalled at himself.

Bilbo rolled her eyes, pulling her long, thick curls back from her small face. “Yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what landed you all in Thranduil’s cells. Again.” Pursing her lips, she said, “Let me guess: if I ask Thorin what happened, he’ll tell me that ‘negotiations broke down.’”

He grinned at her winningly as he rose and joined her on the other side of the bars. “Sounds about right. You know, you should just marry Fili already, and then you could come and join us on these diplomatic visits, and then we could stop meeting like this.”

Bilbo’s cheeks pinked and she cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at the cell across from Kili’s, in which his brother stood leaning against the side wall. Currently, he was eyeing Kili in a way that promised some future discomfort on Kili’s part, though Kili refused to be too worried. Fee would sooner cut his own arm off than do Kili any real harm.

“Miss Baggins,” his older brother greeted her mildly as the guard freed him. “Please excuse my little brother. I’m afraid I dropped him once or twice when he was a baby, and he hit his head.”

Bilbo’s lips twitched as she tried to hide a smile. “How unfortunate,” she murmured before peering up at Fili from underneath her thick, dark lashes.

“Yes, it is a sad burden to bare, but as I am the one at fault, I am afraid I am stuck with him.”

“If you two would stop flirting,” Thorin’s deep voice broke in from further down the corridor, “I would like to return to Erebor sometime this evening.”

  
Bilbo shifted, blushing even further and straightening her blouse unnecessarily. “Yes, of course, Your Majesty.” She gestured for the guard to proceed, and in short order, all three of the dwarves of Erebor’s royal family were released and being ushered into the private plane that would return them to their home. 

“Come with us,” Fili urged, gazing a Bilbo earnestly.

“Oh, I’m not sure how professional that would be-“

“Come along, Miss Baggins,” Thorin called from within the plane. 

  
Bilbo’s pointed ears twitched. “Ah. Yes, well, all right. Thank you,” she said anxiously, accepting the hand Fili offered to guide her onto the plane. She cleared her throat and then added, “And, ah, my car?”

“Will be retrieved by one of my dwarves, Miss Baggins. Do stop fretting,” Thorin said firmly. Anyone would think that Thorin did not care for Bilbo, but it had been he who had sought her out to represent his family shortly after she passed the bar. She had made a name for herself as being both extremely sharp and highly principled, and so Thorin had made the unprecedented decision to approach a solicitor from outside of Erebor to represent the royal family, and she had never given him cause to regret it. His offer to fly her back to Erebor was proof enough of how highly he regarded the lass, as he did not suffer the presence of people outside of his family in private when it could be avoided. Yet it was late in the evening, and even with the series of highways and bridges which now connected the lands between Greenwood, Dale, and Erebor, it would be a long drive home.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Thorin turned and regarded her silently for a moment before saying, “Thorin.”

“I beg your pardon?” Bilbo asked, her eyes widening slightly.

“If my eldest nephew finally puts both of you out of your misery, I do believe it will not be long before you are a part of this family. As such, you may call me Thorin.” He held up his hand and clarified, “In private.”

Bilbo looked like she might faint, but then she gathered herself, straightening her spine and nodding at Kili’s uncle firmly. “Thank you, Thorin. Please feel free to call me Bilbo, in return.” Kili supposed this must be what Bilbo looked like in court or during mediation, when his brother was not around to make her flustered. He chanced a glance at his brother and noted that he looked quite arrested by this more assertive version of their solicitor, though also rather irked by Kili and Thorin’s interference. 

Hearing the soft tones of the single flight attendant announcing that they were ready for takeoff, Kili nudged Fili, and his brother glanced at him blankly before looking at Bilbo again and gesturing towards the leather seats. “Would you care to sit down, Miss Baggins?”

Bilbo looked down at her feet and then up at Fili, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “I would. Though only if you’ll start calling me Bilbo, as well.”

“I suppose I would,” Fili replied, “if you would join me for lunch on Saturday.”

She smiled up at him, looking nervous but pleased. “I would.”

Kili watched as the two of them went over to sit on the first row, and he removed himself to the third and last row, leaning back in the seat and pulling out his rock once more. Thorin sat down beside him, looking far more content than he normally did after spending several hours down in Thranduil’s cells.

Eyeing his uncle, Kili caught his rock and remarked softly, “So, that went rather well, I thought.”

Thorin glanced up at the two full heads of hair bent together on the front row, one curly and dark, the other straight and light, and his lips pursed in the way that they did whenever he wished to hide a smile. “I do believe we may consider this day an unqualified success.”

Kili grinned. “And of course, it doesn’t hurt that you had an excuse to piss off our poncy neighbor.”

  
“Why, nephew,” Thorin said blandly, “I have no idea what you mean.”

  
“Mhmm.” Kili tossed his rock into the air again. “Whatever you say, uncle.”


	2. Big Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this gifset from Fili Friday over on the Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/damnitfili/161094701653

“Look after your brother, Fili,” was one of the first phrases he could remember from his years as a child. The time before that tiny bundle with the wild thatch of dark hair was first placed in his arms was hazy and largely immaterial, aside from the scant memories he clung to of his father.

His father’s smiling face and booming voice were gone from his life even before Kili came into the world, but Fili did his best to keep the few stories he could remember alive so that he could share them with his little brother.

Their mother and uncle loved them with all the fierce pride and jealous protection of the dwarven race, but being responsible for the struggling settlement in Ered Luin took much of their time and energy, and he had always known that the people came first. Fili did his best to be there for all the times Dis and Thorin couldn’t.

Standing there, listening to Thorin explain why he had to leave Kili behind, Fili could only do as he had done countless times before when either Thorin or Dis had to go where Kili could not follow. He jumped out of the boat and began to walk back toward his little brother, who was not so little as before, yet needed him still.

“Fili! You belong with the Company.”

He glanced back and spoke the one thing he had always known above all others, through late nights spent soothing nightmares, and afternoons healing small scrapes and bruises, and far too early mornings with little knees digging into his back and an excitable voice shouting, “Wake up, Fee! Wanna go play!”

“I belong with my brother,” and he always would.


	3. Ori, Master Of Manipulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by this meme on the Tumblr. Ori, you delightful little snot. We’ve caught you red handed.
> 
> https://strictlynofrills.tumblr.com/post/189452388954/admittedly-no-one-had-come-away-from-their-first

Admittedly, no one had come away from their first introduction looking their best, but Ori privately felt that the elves, who were known for their longevity and their wisdom, should have comported themselves better.

Ori, being the quiet sort, until something burned inside him like the flames of a forge and then words billowed from his mouth like so much smoke, was not one to call the elves out on their behavior directly, but there was more than one way to set a stone.

Years of finding small ways to repay Dori for his tendency to hover and fuss had taught Ori much about subtlety and the art of appearing more meek and needy than he was in truth. 

He glanced around at his companions and gave a mental shake of his head at their antics. No sort of cunning at all.

Hunching down in his seat, he arranged his features in a most miserable pout and reached out to fiddle with some lettuce that looked quite appetizing after the long road filled with stews that were more meat than vegetable, and nary a salad in sight. 

“I don’t like green food,” he lied mournfully, and caught sight of an elven servant twitching in the background.

He looked down to hide a small smirk of satisfaction. There. That was how it was done. If only the rest of the Company would catch on, they could really make their hosts stew in their own guilty consciences.


	4. Under the stars, you and I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by art on the Tumblr that may be found here: https://hobbitunderthemountain.tumblr.com/post/76166371962/she-walks-in-starlight-in-another-world
> 
> Apparently I write Kiliel fluff now. Who knew? 0.o

Impatient knocking pulled her out of a light slumber, and she rose from her too-low bed to pull on the dressing gown Bilbo had gifted to her not long after she came to stay within the mountain of her betrothed’s people. The silk whispered against her legs and the fabric of her nightgown as she strode on swift legs and silent feet to the main door of her chambers.

When she drew open the door, her hand resting casually on the hilt of the dagger sheathed at her hip – habits died poorly after dozens upon dozens of years spent in an infested kingdom, it would seem – she let out a silent sigh of relief.

Kili stood outside her door, a dark blue hood covering his head and an instrument case slung over his shoulder. In one hand, he held a basket.

She withdrew her hand from her dagger hilt and asked, “What are you doing here so late at night, melleth nin? I thought when I heard you knocking that something was wrong.”

Kili looked abashed for a moment before his natural exuberance reasserted itself. “Come with me!” he urged, holding out his free hand entreatingly.

“Come with you where?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow. “And are you suggesting I go somewhere with you in the middle of the night, without our chaperone?”

His only response was a winning smile and a hopeful light in his dark eyes. It was clear he had noted her lack of refusal. She considered him for a moment and then decided. “Let me put on something more suitable.”

She could see the exact moment he took in the shear, low-cut fabric of her nightgown, which her dressing gown did not fully conceal. He gulped and then nodded to a spot against the wall opposite her door. “I’ll just sit and wait for you, then.”

Her lips twitched. “A wise decision, beloved.” She shut her chamber door and went to change into her more customary leggings, along with a vest, light leather armor, and a leather coat in deference to the chill of the early spring night air.

When she emerged after tugging on her boots, Kili stood from his spot against the wall and came towards her with his hand outstretched once more. She laced their fingers together and allowed him to spirit her through the vast and winding halls of his forefathers.

They passed sentries who gave them indulgent or disgruntled looks by turn; those who simply enjoyed seeing their young prince joyful and in love, and those who could not conscion the sight of him carrying on a betrothal to an elf maiden.

Kili rendered them all, to the last dwarf, mute with the power of his incandescent happiness, and Tauriel mused that her love shone much like the stars her people so adored, for all that he had once described them as cold and remote.

He led her out to a balcony she had never seen before. It was covered in planters and surrounded by a wooden railing to prevent any mishaps. The planters were as yet empty, but Kili caught her questioning glance and explained, “It is a wedding gift from Fili to Bilbo, but he’s letting us borrow it.”

“And for what purpose are we borrowing it, melleth nin?”

He set down the basket and tugged her over towards the railing. Climbing up onto the bottom rung, the better to take gentle hold of her chin, he guided her to look up at the enormous blanket of stars above. Her heart stopped and then started again, swelling with warmth and emotion at the familiar sight. “I know you miss the stars, amralime. I thought this might be a good way for you to see them without having to leave the mountain.”

She pulled her eyes away from the vision of the sky she loved best only to look upon something which held even greater sway over her heart. It was true that she often yearned for the night and the starry canopy which had so filled her life before coming here, but she had considered it a worthy price to pay for the chance to be near to her heart.

Tauriel placed her hand upon his cheek and turned him towards her for a soft, lingering kiss, closing her eyes as he filled up her senses. When she pulled away, he beamed at her.

“What was that for? And what would Bilbo say?”

She pecked his lips, simply because she could, and told him, “Because my heart was too full for words. And she would say nothing at all. I have heard the stories from her time on the quest. She and Fili were not always so proper as she would have everyone believe.”

He made an unusual face, torn caught between intrigue and revulsion. “I’m torn between asking for more details and desperately not wanting to know.” Shaking his head, he distracted himself by climbing up further onto the railing, reaching the top and balancing there precariously. He walked along for several steps before Tauriel could restrain her anxiety no longer. Her love was a capable warrior who had saved her life during the Battle of Five Armies, strong and graceful and sure of foot, but he was no elf to be standing on such a dangerous edge, at such a great height.

“Kili, come down from there,” she said, trying not to sound stern. She was not, after all, his mother.

He turned to walk towards her again and gave her an impish look. “Think you could catch me?”

“Will it get you to come down if I say yes?”

“Aye, I do believe it would.”

“Then yes, I could catch you.” It even had the benefit of being true.

With a whoop, he threw himself down towards her and she snapped her arms up to catch him reflexively, spinning around a few times to compensate for the way the force of the impact threw off her equilibrium.

He laughed, delighted, and she laughed too, in relief and for the joy of hearing him overflowing with life and mirth. At last, she set him upon his feet with a kiss to his brow.

Kili stepped away a little and bent to retrieve something from the basket, revealing a thick blanket which he spread upon the stone floor with a flourish. He beckoned her over and then pulled out a cask of wine and two goblets, as well as some meat pies and a pastry which smelled of candied fruit, nuts, and honey.

She examined the spread and then glanced at the starry expanse. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

He cocked his head. “Would this do it, if I was?”

“It might. Though you should know, we would then be married in the eyes of my people.”

Grinning sheepishly, he acknowledged, “In mine, as well. It’s not as traditional to marry that way anymore, though, and Amad would kill me if we denied her the chance to plan our wedding. Probably best not.”

She nodded. “I would rather not incur the wrath of your mother.” It had taken Dis long enough to accept that neither of her sons would take a dwarrowdam as a wife as it was. It helped that she rather adored Bilbo, but she had no such love for Tauriel.

“You are as wise as you are beautiful, my lady,” Kili declared, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

She shook her head at him, tore off a piece of one of the meat pies, and put it to his laughing mouth. His lips were still stretched into a grin as they closed around the morsel and he began to chew. When he swallowed, he informed her, “Apparently in hobbit culture, that would be quite forward.”

“Then I suppose it is fortunate neither of us are hobbits,” she observed dryly.

He broke off a piece of the same pie and brought it up with a questioning look. When she nodded, he placed it between her slightly parted lips, and she felt a jolt of heat run through her at the brush of his fingertips against such delicate flesh. She pulled away from him gently and gazed upon the heavens to recenter herself as she chewed.

“Perhaps there should be no more of that if we truly do no intend to wed this night,” she suggested, embarrassingly proud of the lack of a waiver in her voice.

Kili cleared his throat and when that didn’t work, swallowed roughly. “Perhaps you’re right.”

They ate their way through the rest of the food, distracting themselves from their moment of ardor with safe topics, such as their archery, and Bilbo and Fili’s upcoming nuptials.

When the food was gone, Kili stood and removed the instrument case from his pack. Laying it upon the ground, he pulled out a fiddle and told her, “I thought you might like a little music, as well.”

“I would,” she agreed, feeling a fresh swell of fondness for her sweet dwarf. He played her songs from all over Arda – dwarven songs, of course, but also songs of Men and elves, and even a few he and Fili had adapted to play on the fiddle from Shire songs Bilbo had sung once or twice on the quest.

He played long into the early hours of the morning, and Tauriel took turns watching him and watching the stars above. When the last point of light disappeared, she held up a hand, and he stopped, the last few notes fading slowly away.

“Come, melleth nin. It is many hours past the time when we should have been in bed.” She rose and stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you for giving me such a beautiful night.”

“May there be many more to come,” Kili replied warmly.

They gathered their things and Kili once more guided her through the many halls. The guard shift had changed, and there were quite a few raised eyebrows from the new dwarves they passed along the way.

When they reached the door to her chambers, Kili asked, “May I steal one last kiss before we part?”

“No,” she denied, continuing before his face could fall, “but I shall give you one,” and she proceeded to do just that, and quite thoroughly.

When she pulled away at last, his dark brown eyes were gratifyingly dazed.

“Good morning, my love,” she bade him.

“Good morning,” he murmured in reply. She opened the door and let herself inside her chambers, leaning against the sturdy wood after shutting it with a quiet snick.

She took a moment to marvel at what her life had become since her banishment from Thranduil’s halls. Six months ago, if anyone had suggested that she would fall in love with a dwarven prince and spend nights listening to him serenade her by starlight, she would have deemed them quite mad, but now that she was here, she would have it no other way.

“May there be many more like this, indeed.” One day, her love’s life would come to its end, and he would leave her, and she would fade. But until that day, she knew there would be countless nights exactly like the one she and Kili just shared.


	5. Dwarven Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by this post on the Tumblr: https://legolaslovely.tumblr.com/post/190133546639/id-bake-the-most-fluffiest-white-chocolate about Fili and Kili developing dad bods.
> 
> ...I slipped and wrote a comment fic.
> 
> For once, Fili is _not_ with Lady Bilbo.

They were young and active on the quest, and always, always hungry.

Then again, they had pretty much grown up hungry. Things got a little better as the dwarves delved deeper into the mines in Ered Luin, but they still felt compelled to escort caravans once they reached battle age. They couldn’t allow their mother to scrimp and save as she did purely so that they could have enough food to put on the table - not when they were old enough to do something about it.

It was not until several years after they reclaimed Erebor that they both started filling out in the way that their race expected. Their shoulders broadened from good food, and their muscles hardened and grew even further from long hours spent laboring alongside their people and stealing a few moments here and there for themselves in the forge.

Finally, a few decades after establishing their home, Kili convinced Tauriel it would be alright to have a pebble or two, and Fili settled down with Sigrid’s eldest daughter, a beautiful, headstrong lass with her grandfather’s skill at archery and her mother’s strength. 

It took five long, difficult years for Kili and Tauriel to conceive, but once they knew their child was on the way, Kili stopped going on as many patrols. He took more duties inside the mountain, ensuring that he would always be there, should Tauriel have need of him. He tried to keep up with his training, but good food and times of peace, along with his more sedentary duties, eventually led to a slight softening of the firm muscles he’d always had in his abdomen. 

Tauriel had an odd fascination with his new, slightly convex stomach, though Kili found that he could not complain; he was quite enamored of her steadily growing middle, and could not resist putting his hands over the place where their child grew whenever Tauriel was near.

By this time, Fili and Sifleda had two children of their own: a girl and a boy, and Fili, too, had begun to soften somewhat about the middle. Sifleda was pleasantly surprised when Fili expressed a quiet happiness at this new development. 

“Most Men despise such softness,” she said when she first took note of the change, studying her proud husband with an inquisitive eye.

He turned from the floor-length mirror, where he had been studying the slight pull at his waist in an old tunic. With a slight shrug and an even slighter uptick at the corners of his mouth, he tried to explain. “I find it… comforting. It means we’re safe. It means our children will never want for anything. And you forget, love, that the dwarven understanding of beauty is not the same as that of Men.”

Sifleda ducked her head. No, she had not forgotten. She often compared herself against the dwarrowdams in the mountain and wondered what her husband saw when he looked at her. 

Stepping closer, Fili reached up to gently raise her chin. “Never doubt, though, that you are beautiful to me.”

She placed her hand over the minute roundness of Fili’s stomach and offered him a slightly watery smile. “As you are to me.”


	6. Hearth and Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I saw a picture of an elk roast in a Boot Barn ad and got inspired.
> 
> ... Yeah. I know. I’m an odd one.
> 
> Pre-quest, so this is gen.

The voices and boot falls of many dwarves greeted Kili’s ears as he entered the main hall of Ered Luin. A pair of pebbles ran straight towards him, heedless of their prince’s presence, and Kili side-stepped them with a laugh, always heartened to see children at play.

He hefted the elk higher onto his back and turned towards the living quarters, deep in the heart of the mountain, as far from any danger as possible.

Along the long path, several friends and elders waved or stopped to exchange a quick word, welcoming him back to the settlement. He was glad to be back after such a long tour of caravan duty, though Kili could not complain. As much as he had missed his family, and especially his brother, he was grateful for the chance to prove his ability on his own, in this one last test before Amad would consent for him to join the rest of the Company on the coming quest.

His time escorting caravans had gone smoothly, which meant that Amad could voice no more objections if she wished to keep her word - and Durins always kept their word. Kili hoped the elk he’d chanced upon not far from home would help soften the blow.

As he reached their rooms, he kicked lightly at their sturdy oak door, not wishing to juggle the burden he carried to knock properly. A few beats later, the door swung open, and Fili’s golden head appeared. He looked up and grinned at the sight of his little brother, reaching out to pull Kili inside.

“Took you long enough,” he jibed gently. “We were beginning to fear we’d need to gather a search party.”

”Yes, I’m fine, thank you. How are you? Good to see you, too,” Kili snarked back, though his tone was light.

Fili snorted and dragged Kili further into their home, towards the kitchen. “Please. If you think that’s bad, just wait until Amad sees you. She won’t say it, but she’s been worried sick.”

With a grimace, Kili laid the elk out on the kitchen island and carefully didn’t think about what that would mean for her when he and Fili began making their way towards Erebor.

”Fili? Is that Thorin?” Amad came into the kitchen, dressed in the sturdy, soot-stained clothes and apron she wore in the forge, her long, thick, dark hair tied away from her face in a series of no-nonsense braids.

”Kili!” she cried and then strode forward to pull her youngest son into a tight embrace, holding onto him long enough that had they been in the presence of anyone other than family, Kili might have felt embarrassed. As it was, he nearly protested when she pulled away to run her eyes over him.

”Well. You appear to be in one piece,” she noted dryly, belying the relief in her blue eyes. This close, Kili could see the signs of strain his absence had caused in her face, and he felt his heart clench, but said nothing.

”And he comes bearing a gift,” Fili said, patting the elk’s hide.

Amad glanced at the elk, a delighted grin stretching across her face. “And what a gift it is. You spoil me, inudoy.” She reached up to pat his cheek and added, “And it will be all the better if you skin and dress it for me.”

Kili huffed, though he was not surprised. He knocked their heads together gently and then waved her off. “I’ll have it ready for you when you are finished in the forge, Amad.”

”Good lad.”

She departed from their rooms, followed shortly by Fili, as they had a full day of work ahead of them.

Kili set aside his pack, drew off his cloak, and removed his leather armor. Then he set about preparing the elk. He set the skin, bones, and antlers aside to be made into leathers, bone broth, and tools later, and packed the intestines away, already looking forward to the sausages they would make.

Finally, he began to prepare the roast. He found a sack of russet potatoes and another of green beans, onions, and carrots, and cleaned them and added them to the pan on which he had arranged the roast. He slid the roast into the cast iron oven and then made his way to the bathing house for a much-needed wash.

He languished in the hot water for a good while after scrubbing off the dirt and grime of travel. When he emerged, he brushed out his sodden hair and worked it into a loose braid that was decent enough to avoid most of the disapproval his usual disarray warranted from the older crowd.

When he returned to his family’s quarters, the smell of roasting game and vegetables was already permeating their rooms, and he breathed in deeply with a satisfied smile on his lips.

He checked on the roast’s progress and then went to tend his weapons and armor, after which he finally laid down in his bed for a nap. He had slept well enough on the road, but nothing could beat the comfort and safety of home.

The sounds of Fili and Amad returning rousted Kili from his bed a few hours later, and he emerged from his room with a yawn and a languid stretch of his back and shoulders.

Amad laid a kiss on his forehead. “That smells divine,” she said, nodding appreciatively towards the kitchen.

”I’ll take the roast out of the oven while you two get changed,” Kili replied, his cheeks warm from the praise.

A short while later, the three of them sat at the dining table, tucking into a well-earned meal, and Kili glanced between his two most beloved dwarves, enjoying their pleased expressions as they ate the fruits of his labor. He sat back for a moment to take everything in, wanting to shore up this memory for the long days ahead, as, having proved himself, he and Fili were due to set out for Hobbiton and then for Erebor in a fortnight.

For the short time it would last, it was good to be home.


End file.
